Pillar for a vehicle body

ABSTRACT

A pillar, in particular a B-pillar, for a vehicle body, in particular a passenger car body, comprises a hat profile beam that has its crown towards the interior of the body. A lower hat profile beam has its own crown located within the crown of the beam and the flanges of the two beams are spot welded together. The hinges of the rear door are fixed to the beam. The front edge of the rear door swings into the crown of the beam when the door is opened. Thus, the beam has a high crown and utilizes the available space efficiently.

CONTINUING APPLICATION DATA

This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/SE98/01123, filed on Jun. 10, 1998, whichclaims priority from Swedish Patent Application No. 9702234-7, filed onJun. 10, 1997. International Application No. PCT/SE98/01123 was pendingas of the filing date of the above-cited application. The United Stateswas an elected state in International Application No. PCT/SE98/01123.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a pillar or support for a vehicle body,comprising two beams of sheet steel joined together to form the pillar.At least one of the beams is a hat profile that has its flanges joinedto the other beam.

2. Background Information

The demands on side impact energy absorption increase continuously andthe pillars are important for this energy absorption. At the same timeas the demands on impact energy absorption increase, the demands onweight reduction are also increased.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy absorbingpillar or support that is both less costly and lighter in weight thanconventional pillars with corresponding energy absorption properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is fulfilled in principle in that the one of the beamsmaking up the pillar that is adjacent the interior of the vehicle bodyis a hat profile beam that has its flanges on the outer third of thethickness of the pillar and preferably at the very outermost part of thepillar. This hat beam will then be the major energy absorbing part ofthe pillar and it will utilize a major part of the space available forthe pillar. The present invention has been given the characteristicsdefined in the claims.

In particular when the pillar is a B-pillar, it is advantageous that theother beam making up the pillar extends into the hat profile beam. Thenthe hinges for the rear door can be mowed to this other beam and locatedinside the hat beam. Then the front edge of the rear door can swing intothe part of the other beam that is located in the hat profile beam.Then, the hat beam utilizes the available space ultimately.

In other words, the second beam can preferably extend into the hatprofile beam. The hinges for the rear door of the vehicle can beattached to the other beam. The front edge of the rear door can thusrotate into the region of the hat profile beam. This effectivelyutilizes the available space.

Since the hat profile beam adjacent the interior of the vehicle body hasits opening outwardly directed, it can be formed as one piece with across beam in the form of a hat profile or with a first part of such across beam which can then be extended by having another part jointed,for example welded to it. Then, the cross beam can be arranged to takesupport on or be fixed to a central tunnel of the vehicle floor so thatinput forces can be transmitted to this central tunnel.

The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanyingfigures. When the word “invention” is used in this specification, theword “invention” includes “inventions”, that is, the plural of“invention”. By stating “invention”, the Applicants do not in any wayadmit that the present application does not include more than onepatentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that thisapplication may include more than one patentably and non-obviouslydistinct invention. The Applicants hereby assert that the disclosure ofthis application may include more than one invention, and, in the eventthat there is more than one invention, that these inventions may bepatentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings which show an example of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transparent perspective view of the major beam that forms aB-pillar and it shows also upper and lower cross beams jointed to thepillar;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along FIG. 1, and it shows the complete pillarand also parts of a front door and a rear door;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detail of the pillar or support;and

FIG. 4 shows a vehicle in which the present invention may be utilized.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a B-pillar of a vehicle in the form of, forexample, a passenger car, which pillar comprises a hat profile beam 12having a deep profile and a hat profile beam 20 having a lower profile.

The deep profile beam 12 has two side flanges 13, 14 with bent edges 15,16 and the low profile beam 20 has two side flanges 21, 22. The hatprofile beams 12, 20 face in the same direction so that the beam 20 islocated substantially within the beam 12. The beams of the hat profiles,that is, the side flanges 13, 14 and 21, 22 are jointed in pairs by spotwelding. In FIG. 2, the front door 25 and the rear door 26 of the carare also shown. The hinge 30 of the rear door 26 has a part 31 fixed tothe beam 20. At the part 31, the beam 20 is reinforced at its back by aplate 28 that is connected, for example spot welded, to the beam 20.FIG. 3 shows a modified reinforcing plate 28. The beam 20 has anintrusion 29 as deep as the thickness of the plate 28 and the plate 28follows the profile of the beam 12 under the flanges of the beam 12.

The hat profile beam 20 is thus preferably adjacent the exterior of thevehicle body whereas the main profile beam 12 is adjacent the interiorof the vehicle body and both beams have concave sides facing outwardly.As shown by the dotted circle, the rear edge 27 of the rear door 26 willswing into the profile beam 20 when the door is opened, which means thatthe distance between the side flanges 13, 14 of the hat profile beam 12and the outer panels of the doors can be reduced as compared toconventional B-pillars. The beam 12 can thus have a deeper profile andutilize the available space more efficiently, which makes the pillarmore efficient. This is a preferred and most efficient design.Alternatively, the outer beam 20 can be a flat plate or even be a hatprofile beam with its crown outwardly directed. In the later design, theflanges should be at least at the outer third or at the outer fourth ofthe thickness of the pillar, otherwise the efficiency in energyabsorption will be reduced.

In FIG. 1, the beam 12 is shown but not the beam 20. The beam 12 has across section that varies and it is wider and has a lower height at thethreshold than in its middle portion. Suitably, the beam 12 is formedand hardened with the press-hardening method (hot-stamped and hardenedin one operation in cooled tools) and it can be formed in one piece witha cross beam 35 that is to be fixed to the vehicle floor, suitably byspot welding, and take support against a central tunnel 36 in thevehicle floor so that forces from a side impact will be transmitted tothe central tunnel 36. Suitably, a short piece of the cross beam 35close to the pillar should be milder than the other parts of the crossbeam 35 and the beam 12 so that it forms a deformation zone. It can bemilder for example by being unhardened or annealed. The cross beam 35can be jointed for example at 37 or 38 to the part of the cross beamthat is adjacent the beam 12 and formed as an integral part therewith.In the same way, a short piece of a roof beam 40 can be formed as anintegral part of the beam 12 and extended. The entire roof beam 40 canalternatively be formed separately and fixed to the upper part of thebeam 12 at 41 suitably by spot welding or other suitable means ofattachment.

In other words, and in conjunction with at least one embodiment of thepresent invention, the beam 12 can be designed as an integral pieceextending over the opposing sides and the top and bottom of the vehicle.Alternatively, the beam 12 can be formed so that it attaches to separatetop and/or bottom support beams, or can partially extend over the topand/or bottom.

The press-hardening method is not described in detail herein butreference is made to GB-1490535, which is hereby incorporated byreference as if set forth in its entirety herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a vehicle, in this example an automobile 100, inwhich the present invention can be utilized. Embodiments of the presentinvention may also be used in conjunction with other vehicles, and arenot intended to be limited for use in automobiles. The automobile shownshows a possible location of the beam 12 in the vehicle.

One feature of the invention resides broadly in the pillar for a vehiclebody comprising two beams of sheet steel joined together, a first one 20of the beams adjacent the outward side of the body and the second one 12adjacent the interior of the body, and at least one of the beams 12 is ahat profile that has its flanges coupled to the other beam,characterized in that said second beam 12 is said hat profile-beam andthe two beams 12, 20 have such a form that the flanges 13, 14 of thesecond beam 12 are at the outer third of the thickness of the pillar.

Another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said flanges13, 14 are at the outer most part of the pillar.

Yet another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said firstbeam 20 extends into said second beam 12.

Still another feature of the invention resides broadly in that saidfirst beam 20 is a hat profile beam.

A further feature of the invention resides broadly in that the hinges 30for the rear door are mounted in said first beam 20.

Another feature of the invention resides broadly in that said secondbeam 12 is formed in one piece with a cross beam 35 or part of a jointedcross beam 35.

Yet another feature of the invention resides broadly in that takessupport against a central tunnel 36 in the body floor.

Still another feature of the invention resides broadly in that saidsecond beam 12 and the cross beam 35 are in hardenable steel and a partof the cross beam near the second beam 12 is not hardened or annealed sothat it forms a deformation zone.

The components disclosed in the various publications, disclosed orincorporated by reference herein, may be used in the embodiments of thepresent invention, as well as, equivalents thereof.

The appended drawings in their entirety, including all dimensions,proportions and/or shapes in at least one embodiment of the invention,are accurate and to scale and are hereby included by reference into thisspecification.

All, or substantially all, of the components and methods of the variousembodiments may be used with at least one embodiment or all of theembodiments, if more than one embodiment is described herein.

All of the patents, patent applications and publications recited herein,and in the Declaration attached hereto, are hereby incorporated byreference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

The following U.S. patents, which may contain examples of vehiclepillars which may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the presentinvention, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in theirentirety herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,390, issued Sep. 21, 1999 toKleinhoffer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,451, issued Feb. 17, 1998 toWhite; U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,614, issued Oct. 19, 1999 to Reichenberger etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,407, issued Jan. 5, 1999 to Fukuda; U.S. Pat.No. 5,720,510, issued Feb. 24, 1998 to Daniel et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,609,385, issued Mar. 11, 1997 to Daniel et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,544,933, issued Aug. 13, 1996 to Shahab et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,382,071, issued Jan. 17, 1995 to Enning et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,094,504, issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Wurl; U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,778, issuedSep. 10, 1991 to Larsen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,359, issued Nov. 20, 1990to Takahashi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,981, issued Apr. 12, 1988 toBarton et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,843, issued Oct. 26, 1982 toMurakami.

The following patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if setforth in their entirety herein: U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,812; European PatentNo. EP 07 60 329; French Patent No. FR 75 62 86; and European Patent No.EP 07 53 450.

The corresponding foreign and international patent publicationapplications, namely, Swedish Patent Application No. 9702234-7, filed onJun. 10, 1997, having inventor Martin Jonsson, and laid open SwedishPatent application No. 9702234-7 and published Swedish PatentApplication No. 97702234-7 and PCT/SE98/01123 as well as their publishedequivalents, and other equivalents or corresponding applications, ifany, in corresponding cases in Sweden and elsewhere, and the referencescited in any of the documents cited herein, are hereby incorporated byreference as if set forth in their entirety herein.

The details in the patents, patent applications and publications may beconsidered to be incorporable, at applicant's option, into the claimsduring prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentablydistinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have beendescribed in detail above, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clause areintended to cover the structures described herein as performing therecited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalentstructures.

The invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferredembodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided detailsthereof, since modifications and variations thereof may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pillar for supporting a vehicle body, saidpillar comprising: a first beam comprising sheet steel; a second beamcomprising sheet steel; said second beam comprising a hat profile; saidhat profile comprising a deep profile; said pillar being configured toprotect occupants of a vehicle against a side impact; said first beamcomprising a first side and a second side, a distance between edges ofsaid first side of said first beam and said second side of said firstbeam defining a width dimension therebetween; said second beamcomprising a first side and a second side, a distance between edges ofsaid first side of said second beam and said second side of said secondbeam defining a width dimension therebetween; said first beam comprisingat least a first beam flange and a second beam flange; the width of saidfirst beam flange of said first beam extending no more than one-third ofthe width of said first beam; the width of said second beam flange ofsaid first beam extending no more than one-third of the width of saidfirst beam; said second beam comprising at least a first beam flange anda second beam flange; the width of said first beam flange of said secondbeam extending no more than one-third of the width of said second beam;the width of said second beam flange of said second beam extending nomore than one-third of the width of said second beam; said first beamflange of said first beam being connected to said first beam flange ofsaid second beam; said second beam flange of said first beam beingconnected to said second beam flange of said second beam; at least oneof said first beam and said second beam being configured to be disposedsubstantially adjacent a vehicle door; a substantial portion of saidpillar being configured to be disposed substantially vertically in avehicle body; said deep profile comprising two side sections beingdisposed adjacent their corresponding beam flanges; said deep profilecomprising a top section being transverse to, and disposed between andjoining said two side sections; said two side sections having a length;said top section having a length; said length of each of said two sidesections being greater than said length of said top section; said twoside sections being disposed transversely to said beam flanges; saidfirst beam comprising a profile; and said profile in said second beambeing substantially deeper than said profile in said first beam.
 2. Thepillar according to claim 1, wherein: said first beam flange of saidfirst beam is disposed substantially at said first side of said firstbeam; said second beam flange of said first beam is disposedsubstantially at said second side of said first beam; said first beamflange of said second beam is disposed substantially at said first sideof said second beam; said second beam flange of said second beam isdisposed substantially at said second side of said second beam; saidfirst beam is configured and disposed to extend into said second beam;and said pillar consists essentially of said two beams.
 3. The pillaraccording to claim 2, wherein said first beam comprises a hat profile.4. The pillar according to claim 3, wherein: said pillar comprises aB-pillar; and said first beam comprises hinges for mounting at least onevehicle rear door.
 5. The pillar according to claim 4, wherein: saidsecond beam is formed in a single piece; said second beam comprises across beam; and said cross beam comprises one of (a) and (b), where (a)and (b) are the following: (a) an unjointed cross beam; and (b) ajointed cross beam.
 6. The pillar according to claim 4, wherein saidcross beam is configured and disposed to be supported by a tunnel in afloor of a vehicle body.
 7. The pillar according to claim 6, wherein:said second beam comprises hardenable steel; said cross beam compriseshardenable steel; said cross beam comprises a deformation zone; saiddeformation zone comprises unhardened steel; and said deformation zoneis disposed substantially adjacent said second beam.
 8. The pillaraccording to claim 1, wherein: said pillar comprises a B-pillar; andsaid first beam comprises hinges for mounting at least one vehicle reardoor.
 9. The pillar according to claim 1, wherein: said second beam isformed in a single piece; said second beam comprises a cross beam; andsaid cross beam comprises one of (a) and (b), where (a)-and (b) are thefollowing: (a) an unjointed cross beam; and (b) a jointed cross beam.